In detecting, examining or cleaning dental cavities or anaethizing tooth roots in dental cavities, a dental explorer or probe needle instrument is used with a piece of absorbent cotton applied to the pointed needle of the instrument. Such piece of cotton is usually formed between finger tips and applied by fingers to the needle of the instrument prior to the use of the instrument. A time-consuming effort is required each time a pledget of such form is applied to the instrument and skilled techniques must be employed to the pledget and apply the pledget to the needle of the instrument. The present invention contemplates provision of a pledget loading apparatus useful for automatically applying a pledget to the needle of a dental probe instrument or another kind of elongated instrument having a needle.